In recent years, a variety of consumer boxes and cartons have been developed for packaging, shipping, storing, carrying, and dispensing a variety of products. An example of such packages and cartons is a carton for carrying fluent solid materials such as washing detergents, animals feeds and the like. A typical container for such products may often include a paperboard box with an openable lid or tear away dispenser and some type of attached or formed handle for carrying the carton or box.
A cardboard carton for granules including a lid having a locking recess for securing the lid is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,172. The contents of the carton are covered by a disposable sealing paper. The carton's handle is mounted to the side panels of the carton.
A carton for holding a detergent or other fluent solid material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,878. The carton is made of paperboard and includes a handle on the side to facilitate pouring the contents. The handle configuration includes a false compartment that allows for deployment and use of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,703 discloses a carton with a hinged top panel for pouring the contents of the carton. The carton includes a membrane liner underneath the top panel for resealing the carton.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,420 discloses a package having a handle for housing granular or similar products. The handle is a substantially flat strap handle which has a barb member on each end. The handle is inserted into two opposing openings in the side walls of the package.
In those systems, a carton or container is reclosed by covering the open portion of the container with a liner, hinged lid or hinged flap. In those systems, the carton closures often do not close the carton sufficiently to prevent leakage or spillage of the contents of the carton. Additionally, most of those systems are carried by use of an externally mounted or formed handle which operates independent of the opening from which the contents of the carton or package are dispensed. Such handles typically protrude from or hang from the exterior surfaces of the container and may easily snag or catch on other boxes during shipment or storage. The handles may also interfere with top loading and top closure of the containers, and consequently, often require additional manufacturing steps in loading the containers. Also, the use of handles added to the container and produced from a different material or different piece of material increases the material and manufacturing costs of such containers.
There is a need in the art for a carton, formed from a foldable blank, that may be quickly and efficiently reclosed after opening and that prevents spillage or leakage of the contents of the carton. There is a further need in the art for a carton which may be end-loaded independent of the top closure/lid of the carton. There is a further need in the art for a carton having a carrying handle which is flush with the exterior surfaces of the carton to facilitate ease of stacking and shipment of the carton. There is further need in the art for a carton having a carrying handle and recloseable lid structure that minimizes contact of the user with the contents of the carton when carrying the carton.